Candy Hearts
by Island Of the Ships
Summary: It's Valentines Day, and few take it seriously. A short conversation with Ichigo makes Tatsuki think about life and love. Sounds fluffy, actually isn't. Based on a true story, which means it's pretty okay.


--

**Candy Hearts**

--

"Ah! Rukia, what the hell are you doing?"

"Get out of my seat Ichigo!!!"

"Guys…"

"BE NICE!!!"

Tatsuki dropped her bag in the seat next to Orihime, leaning over the top of it to yell at Ichigo and Rukia. They'd been bickering for a while, and they hadn't even left the school yet.

"Whatever," shrugged Rukia, flopping back down on her seat. Ichigo glowered at her, then started searching through his backpack.

"Here," he said, dropping something into Tatsuki's lap. "Happy Valentines."

Tatsuki examined the little box. They were sour candy hearts.

"Thanks Ichigo," she smiled. Ichigo grinned back, and dropped some on Orihime too.

"Here Orihime, Happy Valentines. I'm pretty sure I got some to everyone."

------

It was Valentines Day, and quite frankly, Tatsuki's least favorite day of the year. The day was just an excuse to give each other candy and cards, without getting yelled at by teachers. She'd only seen one actual display of affection that day, everything else was just either required, or given to a group.

------

The bus started moving, and Tatsuki dug into the side pocket of her backpack, where her loot was. Pushing past wrappers and her keys, she retrieved the box of candy hearts. Opening it, Tatsuki looked at the message with surprise.

"My thdaksn? What the hell?"

Looking at the other candies in her box, she saw that they were all similarly disfigured, while Orihime's seemed relatively normal.Turning around in her seat, she managed to pause Rukia in her strangling of Ichigo to exclaim, "You gave me defective candy Ichigo!" and whack him on the head.

Orihime, next to her, laughed, and even Ichigo chuckled.

-------

The bus came to a halt, and half the occupants piled out. Tatsuki and Orihime walked with Ichigo, who was calling for a ride since the bus skipped his stop again.

Rukia, heading the opposite direction, yelled "Ichigo! I'm going to Urahara's! I'll be home later!"

"Sure," Ichigo called back, and walked over to lean against a tree.

Tatsuki and Orihime walked into the neighborhood, barely going anywhere before a car pulled up, and Orihime ran over to it.

"This is my ride. Bye!" Orihime called over her shoulder.

"Later 'Hime!" replied Tatsuki.

She looked back, and saw Ichigo still leaning against the tree.

_Guess I'll go comfort him. Everyone was attacking him pretty bad._

She walked over around the tree and dropped her bag next to her friend's head, sitting down on a root.

"Hey Ichigo."

The guy raised his strawberry colored head and shrugged.

"Don't you come over and annoy me too."

"I wasn't going to annoy you. I came to talk."

"Whatever."

Tatsuki bristled at Ichigo's ignoring of her, but progressed on.

"So, what all happened back there? I know I broke a few people's falls with my knee," she joked, trying to lighten the mood.

"Fuck off," her friend muttered.

"No. What's your problem anyway?"

"You saw what they were doing! Rukia and Ikkaku were practically beating me up! You were helping, why do you think I'm pissed?!"

Tatsuki was offended. "I didn't help them! If you remember I was trying to stop you guys from killing each other! Besides, if I was helping, you'd be dead!"

Ichigo laughed dryly. Tatsuki grinned, knowing she was making _some_ headway.

"I really don't like it when Rukia and the new people randomly attack you. I used to be the one that was always the _I hate them_ person, until me and Orihime met. It's instinct not to like it when others do that to people. Why do you think I don't help them murder you?" asked Tatsuki, irritated again.

_Orihime thinks I helped her by becoming friends with her, but the reality is everyone outside the dojo hated me just as much as her classmates hated her._

Ichigo sighed, looking out across the street. "It just seems like ever since I met Rukia, my life's gone downhill," he said thoughtfully.

Tatsuki brushed that off. "Yeah, right. Meeting Rukia didn't kill your life! You saw the ghosts before you met her, and your dad was still crazy!" _And your mom had already died,_ Tatsuki added silently, before continuing.

"I mean, personally, if Rukia is the worst thing in your life, I'd say you must be living in a paradise."

Ichigo sat thinking, and the two of them leaned against the tree together, enjoying the peaceful silence.

Then Isshin's car pulled up, and Ichigo stood.

"Bye Tatsuki. It was…really great. Talking to you, I mean."

Tatsuki smiled. "Sure. See you!"

She stood up and headed off to her house, mind blank. Then, Isshin's car pulled up beside her, the windows down.

"Hey Tatsuki! Want a ride?" called Ichigo.

Tatsuki smiled, shaking her head. "No thanks! Bye."

"All right then…"

The car drove off.

_Funny, the last few times the bus missed his stop, he asked me if I wanted a ride then too. I should say yes some time._

Tatsuki smiled as she walked along, thinking of her crazy strawberry-headed friend. Her bag clattered oddly when it hit her legs, and Tatsuki took out her sour candy hearts, looking absentmindedly at the message of the one she pulled out of the box.

_Lover Boy_

She grinned, eating the first understandable candy, and held the box in hand as she walked back home.

--

--

--

_Happy Valentine's Day!! _

_--_

_This story is based on almost word for word an event that happened to me two hours ago. I just changed the names and took some bits out (they were inside jokes). I was overcome by inspiration as I ate the "Lover Boy candy", and wrote this one-shot when I got home. _

_--_

_Notes:_

_-Ichigo was at the dojo with Tatsuki, so he isn't among the people who hated her._

_-Manga based, up to volume 22_

_--_

_review if liked, por favor._


End file.
